Latino Earth Partnership Travels to Nicaragua!

TUESDAY, MAY 6, 2014

Latino Earth Partnership (Colaboración Ambiental) is now in Nicaragua! This spring, Rick Hall and Maria Moreno of Earth Partnership traveled down to the Central American country in order to spread restoration education internationally, accompanied by undergraduate intern Kysa Stocking (Global Health, Environmental Studies).

Colaboración Ambiental is an outgrowth of Earth Partnership that uses culturally relevant, bilingual resources and develops authentic relationships in communities in order to encourage the next generation of Latino environmental stewards. We currently work with teachers in Madison and Puerto Rico, and we’re anticipating projects in Mexico as well. In Granada, 30+ teachers, community partners, municipal workers and interns participated in Earth Partnership training, developing sustainable school and community gardens for food, habitat and youth outdoor education. Nicaragua Summer Exchange, a school Spanish immersion program, and Rubi Nicaragua Outdoor Education Outreach hosted the week-long workshop in Granada, facilitated by the visiting Earth Partnership staff. Kysa remained in Nicaragua for the rest of the spring semester, assisting with project implementation. Thanks to overwhelming local support and interest, another institute was immediately planned and implemented in Pio XII, Nandasmo.

We have been thrilled at this opportunity to connect with international partners. Recently, educators from Nicaragua traveled to Wisconsin as guests of both Earth Partnership and UW-Extension. They met with representatives of various UW departments, and attended the Nelson Institute Earth Day Conference and the Wisconsin Lakes Convention in Stevens Point. We thank them and everyone involved in the LEP program for their efforts to continue our Wisconsin-Nicaragua partnership, and we look forward to our future successful work together!

Located between Lake Wingra and the West Beltline Highway at 1207 Seminole Highway, the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arboretum features the restored prairies, forests and wetlands of pre-settlement Wisconsin. This 1,260-acre arboretum also houses flowering trees, shrubs and a world-famous lilac collection. Educational tours for groups and the general public, science and nature-based classes for all ages and abilities, and a wide variety of volunteer opportunities for groups, families and individuals are available.